NBA Rumors: Sam Presti reveals plan on how to convince Kevin Durant to stay in OKC

Kevin Durant is going to be one of the most-sought after players since LeBron James in 2010 when free agency begins on July 1. According to the latest NBA rumors, Thunder general manager Sam Presti is confident that Durant will stay in Oklahoma City and he revealed their plan on how to convince him.

The Thunder were close to knocking off the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals but they blew up their a 3-1 series lead. Durant and company seemed to have solved the Warriors with their length and athleticism but they lacked the mental edge to finish them off.

In an interview with CBS Sports, Presti is very excited about the process of convincing Kevin Durant to stay with the Thunder. He is confident with their plans and he is not worried that the 2014 MVP will join another team.

“I think for us it’s an opportunity to be pretty excited about, quite frankly, to really get excited about and lean into because we have the opportunity to sit down with not only a player but a person that has really defined the Thunder, and I would say Oklahoma City for that matter as well, for the better part of a decade,” Presti said.

The longtime Thunder GM also noted that they are preparing to remind Durant of the nine years they are together. From the days as part of the Seattle SuperSonics, their first season in Oklahoma City, his MVP season up and all of the highs and lows.

“We always give him and all of our players space after the season to decompress because it’s such a long grind. But we also have relationships that are not just business relationships but personal relationships as well,” he added.

Sam Presti is apparently willing to give all the space his superstar forward needs in order for him to make a decision regarding his future. According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Kevin Durant will likely re-sign a two-year deal with the Thunder.

It should be noted that the deal will have a player option after the 2016-17 season. It allows Durant to become a free agent again next summer while giving the Thunder one more chance to win an NBA championship.